Health Risks of Living near Traffic

Urban planning could cut air-pollution woes (Environmental Research Web –news, July 22, 2010)

Also discussed here: Healthy Neighborhoods: Walkability and Air Pollution (8 page pdf, Environ Health Perpect 117(11), Nov. 2009)

And here: Traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma (14 powerpoint slides, AllerGen, Dec 16-18, 2009)

And here: Traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma (32 page pdf, AllerGen, Spring 2010)



Key Quotes:

“They’ve mapped people’s exposure to eight major pollutants – CO, NO, NO2, SO2, ozone, PM2.5, PM10 and black carbon – according to post code, and used medical records to analyse the link with health”

“results showed that “mums-to-be” who lived within 50 m of a major road were 26% more likely to have a low-birth-weight baby and had a greater chance of a premature birth, compared with women living more than 50 m from a major road”

“This then puts children at increased risk for a large number of health problems throughout their lives.. children living near busy highways were 13% more likely to develop asthma, 6% more likely to develop bronchiolitis and around 8% more likely to experience middle-ear infections.”

“We show that people who move away from high-traffic roads reduce their risk of cardiovascular-disease death compared with people who do not.. people who move from within 50 m of a major highway reduce their risk by 45%”

“Within cities, careful urban and transport planning, such as setting roads back from pavements, improving accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians, having dedicated truck routes and congestion charging can make an immense difference”

Related articles

• From the bums of babes: Clues to childhood illness (canada.com)


• Air pollution exposure increases risk of severe COPD (eurekalert.org)


• Traffic pollution may raise emphysema risk, study finds (nationalpost.com)


• Traffic Pollution Tied to Increased Emphysema Risk (nlm.nih.gov)


• Breast Cancer Linked to Traffic Pollution (doyourpart.com)


• Asthma and Pollution Increase The Suicide Rate (socyberty.com)


• Killer Air: Pollution Linked to Cardiac Arrest (health.change.org)


• Air pollution exposure increases risk of severe COPD (physorg.com)


• Breast cancer linked to traffic-related air pollution (theglobeandmail.com)


• Air pollution could increase breast cancer risk: study (news.nationalpost.com)


• Breast cancer, traffic pollution link examined in Montreal study (canada.com)